New Beginnings
by kikew1
Summary: It takes place during the trios sixth year. Feelings are exposed, there's a mysterious new DADA teacher, and new powers arise in some unlikely people.


Disclaimer:  It all belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

New Beginnings

Chapter One:  Arguments of Old, Feelings Anew

"Damn it Ron!"  Hermione turned away, wiping away turns in her eyes before they fell.  Then, in a much lower and gentler tone, she said meekly, "I was worried about you."

At first Ron was shocked to her Hermione swear.  Under different circumstances he would have teased her about it, but when she turned her face away, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice weak, his heart sank.  "I'm sorry Hermione."  She didn't say anything, only sniffled slightly and wiped away a stray tear.  "Come on Hermione, please, look at me."  Once again she said nothing, only sniffed.  That's when Ron decided he had to do something, _'it's now or never' _he thought.  He walked closer to Hermione and turned her around so she was facing him again.  She wouldn't look at his face however; she just stared at the floor.  After still silence, Ron lifted her chin so she would look at him; now their eyes were locked onto each other's.  When Ron spoke, his eyes mirrored his emotions and his voice was husky, "I really am sorry Ninny.  I didn't mean to scare you like that."

With this Hermione broke eye contact and she looked straight at Ron's shoulder.  She thought about when he first started calling her 'Ninny.'  At first he started calling her that to annoy her during their rounds as Prefects last year, he continued to it out of habit now.  After a while, Hermione realized, with the help of Ginny, that it was a subtle, very subtle, way of flirting with her for him.  Ginny told her that it was a Weasley's nature to tease the ones you love.  At that, Hermione had blushed furiously, but was pleased by Ginny's seemingly innocent words.   But just then, Ron said the name with such a husky desirous voice that Hermione had to use all of her strength not to throw herself at him.

Ron broke her out of her reverie when he spoke, "Hermione?"  That's when she noticed he was still holder her chin.  She noticed how rough his fingers felt, but how gentle they were.  Slowly, her eyes made it back up to meet his.  They were considerably darker then usual.  Ron's eyes were focused on hers, but before he spoke, they lingered down to her lips, "I'm sorry."  Instantly, she moistened her lips and nodded her head ever so slightly.  As Ron was lowering his head and pulling Hermione's face closer to his, he moistened his lips too.  Hermione's eyes fluttered closed, as did Ron's, on instinct.  Their lips brushed each other's.  It was a quick chaste kiss, but it sent a shock of electricity through both of their bodies.  When they pulled away, Ron dropped his hand, his ears red, and Hermione turned away slightly staring out the kitchen window of The Burrow.

Hermione's voice was soft, but not fragile like it was before.  "I know you're sorry Ron, its okay.  Just," she let out a sigh, "just don't do anything like that again, please.  I was really worried about you."  It was silent for a while, then Hermione took a deep calming breath and sighted again, "I'm going up to bed.  I'm knackered; it's been a long day."  She chanced a glance at Ron, "Good night."  With nothing more to say, she started walking to the stairs.  Her foot was on the last step to the second floor landing when she heard, "G'night Ninny," come from the bottom of the staircase.

Hermione went straight to Ginny's room.  She pulled open the door, went in, closing it quickly behind her and leaned against it.  She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, catching the attention of her red headed friend.  "Are you okay Hermione?  What's the matter?"

Hermione's eyes opened and her cheeks became pink.  Stuttering slightly she was able to manage a weak reply.  "Huh?  Oh, umm, I'm fine, everything's fine."  Ginny gave her a questioning look as Hermione crossed the room to her bed.  She removed her jumper and folded it neatly.  As Hermione sat at the edge of her bed and removed her shoes, Ginny stared at her.  

"You sure you're alright Hermione?"  Ginny asked politely.

"Yeah, I'm fine."  Another blush crept to Hermione's face, "I'm just tired is all."

Ginny looked to Hermione with raised eyebrows.  "You're tired?  Is that all?  You look like something's on your mind.  Is it anything you'd like to talk to me about?"

Hermione looked up at the younger girl and bit her lip.  She looked at Ginny for a moment before saying anything, "No, I don't think so."  Ginny looked a little put out and Hermione sighed, "I mean, I don't know.  It's just…"  Hermione let out another sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

Ginny gave a small knowing smile, "You know Hermione, you can talk to me anything, even my git of a brother."  Hermione blushed at the mention of Ron.  "I mean, you let me go on and on about the boys I fancy.  The least I can do is let you talk to me about Ron, to a certain extent anyway.  I mean, when things start rolling between you two, I don't need to hear all the gory details."

At Ginny's last comment, Hermione rolled her eyes.  "What makes you think it has anything to do with Ron?"

"Oh come on Herm!"  Hermione glared at Ginny.  "I've gotten to know you pretty well over the last few years, and whenever you have that look on your face and in your eyes it's because of Ron."  Ginny got up from her bed and sat down on Hermione's.  "So what did he do this time?  I heard you arguing when mum and I got back for Diagon Alley."  Hermione paled slightly, "Don't worry, Mum cast a silencing charm on the kitchen and then we both came upstairs.  We didn't hear anything, no one did."

Hermione sighed, "He scared the bloody hell out of me Gin."  Ginny didn't say anything about Hermione's language.  She was the only one who Hermione would swear in front of.  It started during fourth year after the infamous row between Ron and her the night of the Yule Ball by complete accident.  It just slipped out, but since then, Hermione hasn't held her tongue in front of Ginny.  "we were up at the lake earlier today, I was just sitting on the dock reading and Ron was swimming.  I wasn't paying much attention to him, but when I didn't hear any water splashing I looked up."  Tears started to form in her eyes but she blinked them away.  "I didn't see him anywhere.  I looked for him for probably ten minutes or so and then he came up behind me and pushed me in the lake!  I had never been more infuriated with him and happy to see him all at the same time."  Ginny chuckled slightly.  Hermione just looked at her, "I slapped him."

Ginny's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide as saucers, "You did?!"

Hermione nodded her head and smile slightly, "Yup.  And it was harder then the time I hit Malfoy too."  Ginny looked impressed and urged Hermione to continue.  "Yeah, he pulled me up to the dock and if I could've, I would've hexed him into next week, but I couldn't, so I did the next best thing, I hit him."  Hermione laughed a little, "Then I grabbed my book and stormed back here."

"Well, I see you're not dripping wet, so I'm assuming there's more."

Yet another sigh escaped Hermione's lips, she'd been doing that a lot lately.  "Well, I came back and changed.  When I went back downstairs I was hoping to find your mother and tell her what Ron had done.  She would've done him good for that, but you two weren't home yet.  Ron was sitting down there though, and I let him have it.  We argued about it, he said he was just playing around and I told him I was worried about him."

"What did he say after that?"

A small sheepish smile played on Hermione's lips, "Nothing really."

Ginny stared at the bushy haired girl for a minute with narrowed eyes, "Hermione Granger, you're not telling me something, and I want to know what it is!"

Hermione bit her lower lip trying not to smile, but failed terribly, "He kissed me."

Ginny's eyes went wide again, "He WHAT!  He KISSED you!"  Hermione wasn't sure how to take Ginny's outburst, but then Ginny giggled and Hermione smiled out right.  "It's about bloody time!"  

The two of them giggled for a few more moments but then Ginny asked, "How was it?"

"It was nice." Hermione answered simply and honestly.

"How nice exactly?  What was it like?" Ginny asked enthusiastically.  

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes, "I thought you didn't want to know all the _gory _details?"

Once again, Ginny's eyes went wide, "Okay, maybe I don't want to know what it was like."

Hermione shook her head, "No, it was a sweet kiss.  A regular, sweet, awkward first kiss.  I mean, he pretty much just leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, that was it.  It was nothing like what the kisses are like in those books of yours.  It was over just as quickly as it started, but it was," Hermione had a distant look in her eyes and she breathed, "perfect.  Absolutely perfect."  

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Oh Merlin!  Am I going to have to deal with you like this all the time now?  I mean, all starry eyed and all?"

Hermione's eyes seemed to focus back to normal, "What do you mean, _'all starry eyed and all'_?"  

"You're not gonna always have that look on your face when you think about snogging my brother or anything will you?"

"I'm not going to be thinking about _snogging_your brother."  Hermione punched Ginny in the shoulder playfully, "Honestly Ginny!  Ron and I only just kissed; I don't know what it even means.  I mean, I have no idea what's going on through Ron's head," Ginny's corners of her mouth started twitching, "My God Gin, get you're mind out of the gutter, will you!  You're horrible."  Ginny just shrugged and smiled, Hermione decided to change the wording of her previous statement.  "I don't know what Ron is thinking, or what he _was_ thinking when he kissed me.  He could have just kissed me because he felt bad for what he did or something, I don't know.  Everything with him has to be so damn confusing!"

"Oh please Herm, will you just shut it and think about what you're saying!  Ron kissed you because he _fancies_ you!  Not because he felt bad, well, I'm sure he feels bad about what he did, but he didn't kiss you because of it.  He's wanted to kiss you since fourth year, if he wanted to kiss you because he felt bad for something stupid he did, then he would've kissed you ages ago!  You know he likes you Hermione."

"I wish he would just come out and say it then.  It would make things so much easier."

Just then there was a knock at the door.  Both Ginny and Hermione looked to the door slightly startled.  After a moment Ginny said, "Come in."

The door opened and it was Ron.  Immediately Hermione started to blush, but Ron didn't see because he wouldn't look towards her.  Hermione noticed that he was blushing madly too though.  So many thoughts were going through her head all at once that she didn't even hear what Ron was saying.  As abruptly as Ron had come in, he had left. Once he was out of the room, Hermione's head began to clear, "What'd he want?"

Ginny was staring at her and laughing, "Nothing Hermione."  She shook her head, "He just brought up a package that I left downstairs."  Ginny nodded her head a little to where a brown parcel was sitting on her bed.  "Mum told him to bring it up before he went to bed. He said good night to you too, but I don't think you heard him."  Hermione blushed again and shook her head.  Ginny laughed and got up from Hermione's bed, "I think we should get some sleep.  Mum was telling me she had a lot of work for us to do before we go to Grimauld Place, so we'll probably be up early."  Hermione nodded her head as Ginny went over to her bed, grabbed the parcel and locked it into her Hogwarts trunk.  Hermione found it a little odd that Ginny locked the trunk because she normally left it opened, but she didn't say anything.  She just got up from her bed to get her night clothes and changed.  The girls said their goodnights and before she knew it, Hermione was fast asleep.  

**Authors note:  **I've never actually finished a fan fiction, but I'm determined to finish this one.  It's a work in progress, but I've thought this one out so much and with the right help, i.e. lots of reviews and encouragement t along the way, I'm sure I'll finish this one.  So please, feed my desire and tell me what you think.  


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